Chapter 13

Mallow relaxed for almost  the first time in six months. He was on his backin the  sunroom of  his new house,  stripped to the skin.  His great, brownarms were thrown up  and out, and the muscles tautened into a stretch, thenfaded into repose.
The man  beside him  placed a cigar  between Mallow's teeth and  lit it. Hechamped on one of his own and said, "You must be overworked. Maybe you needa long rest.""Maybe I do, Jael, but I'd rather rest in a council seat. Because I'm goingto have that seat, and you're going to help me."Ankor  Jael  raised his  eyebrows  and said,  "How  did I  get into  this?""You got in obviously.  Firstly, you're an old dog of a politico. Secondly,you were  booted out of your  cabinet seat by Jorane  Sutt, the same fellowwho'd rather  lose an eyeball than  see me in the  council. You don't thinkmuch of my chances, do you?""Not  much,"  agreed the  ex-Minister  of Education.  "You're a  Smyrnian.""That's no legal bar. I've had a lay education.""Well, come now. Since when does prejudice follow any law but its own. Now,how  about   your  own  man  ? this  Jaim  Twer?  What   does   he   say?""He spoke  about running me for council almost  a year ago," replied Malloweasily, "but I've outgrown him. He couldn't have pulled it off in any case.
Not enough depth. He's loud and forceful ?but that's only an expression ofnuisance  value.  I'm  off  to  put  over  a  real  coup.  I  need   you. ""Jorane Sutt is the cleverest politician on the planet and he'll be againstyou. I  don't claim to be able to outsmart him.  And don't think he doesn'tfight hard, and dirty.""I've got money.""Mat helps.  But it takes a lot to buy  off prejudice, you dirty Smyrnian.""I'll have a lot.""Well, I'll look into  the matter. But don't ever you crawl up on your hindlegs  and  bleat  that  I  encouraged  you  in  the  matter.  Who's  that?"Mallow  pulled  the corners  of  his  mouth down,  and  said, "Jorane  Sutthimself, I  think. He's early, and  I can understand it.  I抳e been dodginghim for  a month. Look, Jael, get into the next  room, and turn the speakeron low. I want you to listen."He helped the council member out of the room with a shove of his bare foot,then scrambled  up and  into a silk  robe. The synthetic  sunlight faded tonormal power.
The  secretary to the  mayor entered  stiffly, while the  solemn major-domotiptoed the door shut behind him.
Mallow  fastened his  belt and  said, "Take  your choice of  chairs, Sutt."Sutt barely cracked a  flickering smile. The chair he chose was comfortablebut he did not relax into it. From its edge, he said, "If you'll state yourterms to begin with, we'll get down to business.""What terms?""You  wish to  be coaxed?  Well, then,  what, for  instance, did you  do atKorell? Your report was incomplete.""I gave it to you months ago. You were satisfied then."Yes,"  Sutt rubbed his  forehead thoughtfully  with one finger,  "but sincethen your  activities have  been significant. We  know a good  deal of whatyou're doing,  Mallow. We know, exactly,  how many factories you're puttingup; in  what a  hurry you're doing it;  and how much it's  costing you. Andthere's  this palace  you have,"  he gazed  about him  with a cold  lack ofappreciation, "which set you  back considerably more than my annual salary;and a swathe you've been cutting ?a very considerable and expensive swathe?through the upper layers of Foundation society.""So? Beyond proving that you employ capable spies, what does it show?""It shows  you have  money you didn't  have a year  ago. And  that can showanything ? for instance, that a  good deal went on  at Korell that we knownothing of. Where are you getting your money?""My dear Sutt, you can't really expect me to tell you.""I don't.""I didn't  think you did. That's  why I'm going to  tell you. It's straightfrom the treasure-chests of the Commdor of Korell."Sutt blinked.
Mallow  smiled and continued.  "Unfortunately for  you, the money  is quitelegitimate. I'm a Master  Trader and the money I received was a quantity ofwrought iron  and chromite in exchange for a number  of trinkets I was ableto  supply him  with. Fifty  per cent  of the  profit is mine  by hideboundcontract with the Foundation.  The other half goes to the government at theend  of   the  year  when   all  good  citizens  pay   their  income  tax.""There   was  no  mention   of  any   trade  agreement  in   your  report.""Nor was  there any  mention of what I  had for breakfast that  day, or thename  of my  current mistress,  or any  other irrelevant  detail." Mallow'ssmile was fading into a sneer. "I was sent ?to quote yourself ?to keep myeyes open.  They were never. shut. You wanted to  find out what happened tothe captured  Foundation merchant ships. I never saw  or heard of them. Youwanted to find out  if Korell had nuclear power. My report tells of nuclearblasters in  the possession  of the Commdor's  private bodyguard. I  saw noother signs.  And the blasters I did see are relics  of the old Empire, andmay   be   show-pieces  that   do   not   work,  for   all  my   knowledge.
"So far,  I followed orders, but  beyond that I was,  and. still am, a freeagent. According  to the laws of  the Foundation, a Master  Trader may openwhatever  new markets  he can, and  receive therefrom  his due half  of theprofits. What are your objections? I don't see them."Sutt bent  his eyes carefully towards  the wall and spoke  with a difficultlack  of anger, "It  is the general  custom of  all traders to  advance thereligion with their trade.""I adhere to law, and not to custom.""There are times when custom can be the higher law.""Then appeal to the courts."Sutt raised somber eyes which seemed to retreat into their sockets. "You'rea Smyrnian after all.  It seems naturalization and education can't wipe outthe  taint in  the blood.  Listen, and  try to  understand, just  the same.
"This goes beyond money,  or markets. We have the science of the great HariSeldon to  prove that upon us depends the future  empire of the Galaxy, andfrom the course that leads to that Imperium we cannot turn. The religion wehave  is our  all-important instrument  towards that  end. With it  we havebrought the  Four Kingdoms under our control, even  at the moment when theywould have  crushed us.  It is the  most potent device known  with which tocontrol men and worlds.
"The  primary  reason for  the  development  of trade  and  traders was  tointroduce and  spread this  religion more quickly,  and to insure  that theintroduction of  new techniques and a  new economy would be  subject to ourthorough and intimate control."He paused for breath, and Mallow interjected quietly, "I know the theory. Iunderstand it entirely.""Do you?  It is  more than I expected.  Then you see, of  course, that yourattempt at trade for its own sake; at mass production of worthless gadgets,which can only affect a world's economy superficially; at the subversion ofinterstellar policy to the  god of profits; at the divorce of nuclear powerfrom  our  controlling religion  ? can  only end  with  the overthrow  andcomplete  negation  of  the  policy  that  has worked  successfully  for  acentury.""And time enough, too," said Mallow, indifferently, "for a policy outdated,dangerous and  impossible. However well your  religion has succeeded in theFour Kingdoms, scarcely another  world in the Periphery has accepted it. Atthe time we seized  control of the Kingdoms, there were a sufficient numberof exiles, Galaxy knows,  to spread the story of how Salvor Hardin used thepriesthood and the superstition of the people to overthrow the independenceand power  of the secular monarchs. And if that  wasn't enough, the case ofAskone two  decades back made it  plain enough. There isn't  a ruler in thePeriphery now that wouldn't  sooner cut his own throat than let a priest ofthe Foundation enter the territory.
"I don't  propose to force Korell or any other  world to accept something Iknow they  don't want. No, Sutt.  If nuclear power makes  them dangerous, asincere friendship through trade will be many times better than an insecureoverlordship, based  on the  hated supremacy of a  foreign spiritual power,which, once  it weakens ever so slightly, can  only fall entirely and leavenothing   substantial   behind  except   an   immortal   fear  and   hate."Suit  said cynically,  "Very nicely put.  So, to  get back to  the originalpoint of  discussion, what are your terms? What  do you require to exchangeyour ideas for mine?""You think my convictions are for sale?""Why not?"  came the cold  response. "Isn't that your  business, buying andselling?""Only at  a profit," said Mallow,  unoffended. "Can you offer  me more thanI'm getting as is?""You could  have three-quarters  of your trade profits,  rather than half."Mallow laughed shortly, "A fine offer. The whole of the trade on your termswould  fall far  below  ?a  tenth share  on mine.  Try harder  than that.""You could have a council seat.""I'll have that anyway, without and despite you."With  a sudden  movement,  Sutt clenched  his  fist, "You  could also  saveyourself a prison term. Of twenty years, if I have my way. Count the profitin that.""No profit at all, but can you fulfill such a threat?""How about a trial for murder?""Whose murder?" asked Mallow, contemptuously.
Sutt's voice was harsh now, though no louder than before, "The murder of anAnacreonian priest, in the service of the Foundation.""Is that so now? And what's your evidence?"The secretary to the mayor leaned forward, "Mallow, I'm not bluffing. Thepreliminaries are over. I have only to sign one final paper and the case ofthe Foundation versus Hober Mallow, Master Trader, is begun. You abandoneda subject of the Foundation to torture and death at the hands of an alienmob, Mallow, and you have only five seconds to prevent the punishment dueyou. For myself, I'd rather you decided to bluff it out. You'd be safer asa destroyed enemy, than as a doubtfully-converted friend."Mallow said solemnly, "You have your wish.""Good!" and the secretary smiled savagely. "It was the mayor who wished thepreliminary attempt  at compromise, not I.  Witness that I did  not try toohard."The door opened before him, and he left.
Mallow looked up as Ankor Jael re-entered the room.
Mallow said, "Did you hear him?"The politician  flopped to the floor. "I never heard  him as angry as that,since I've known the snake.""All right. What do you make of it?""Well,  I'll tell  you. A  foreign policy  of domination  through spiritualmeans is  his idee fixe,  but it's my notion  that his ultimate aims aren'tspiritual. I was fired out of the Cabinet for arguing on the same issue, asI needn't tell you.""You  needn't.  And  what  are those  unspiritual  aims  according to  yournotion?"Jael grew serious, "Well, he's not stupid, so he must see the bankruptcy ofour religious  policy, which  has hardly made  a single conquest  for us inseventy  years.   He's  obviously  using  it   for  purposes  of  his  own.
"Now any  dogma primarily based  on faith and emotionalism,  is a dangerousweapon to  use on others, since  it is almost impossible  to guarantee thatthe weapon will never be turned on the user. For a hundred years now, we'vesupported a ritual and  mythology that is becoming more and more venerable,traditional ? and immovable. In some ways, it  isn't under our control anymore.""In  what  ways?" demanded  Mallow.  "Don't  stop. I  want your  thoughts.""Well,  suppose one  man,  one ambitious  man, uses  the force  of religionagainst us, rather than for us.""You mean Sutt?
"You're right.  I mean Sutt. Listen, man, if  he could mobilize the varioushierarchies on  the subject planets  against the Foundation in  the name oforthodoxy, what  chance would we stand? By planting  himself at the head ofthe standards of the  pious, he could make war on heresy, as represented byyou,  for instance,  and make  himself king  eventually. After all,  it wasHardin who said: 'A nuclear blaster is a good weapon, but it can point bothways.'"Mallow  slapped his  bare  thigh, "All  right, Jael,  then  get me  in thatcouncil, and I'll fight him."Jael paused,  then said significantly, "Maybe not.  What was all that abouthaving a priest lynched? Is isn't true, is it?""It's true enough," Mallow said, carelessly.
Jael whistled, "Has he definite proof?""He should have." Mallow hesitated, then added, "Jaim Twer was his man fromthe beginning, though neither  of them knew that I knew that. And Jaim Twerwas an eyewitness."Jael shook his head. "Uh-uh. That's bad.""Bad? What's bad about it? That priest was illegally upon the planet by theFoundation's own laws. He was obviously used by the Korellian government asa bait, whether involuntary  or not. By all the laws of common-sense, I hadno choice but one  action ?and that action was strictly within the law. Ifhe brings me to  trial, he'll do nothing but make a prime fool of himself."And Jael shook his head again, "No, Mallow, you've missed it. I told you heplayed dirty.  He's not out to convict you; he knows  he can't do that. Buthe  is out to ruin  your standing with the people.  You heard what he said.
Custom  is  higher than  law, at  times. You  could walk  out of  the trialscot-free, but  if the  people think you  threw a priest to  the dogs, yourpopularity is gone.
"They'll admit  you did the legal thing, even  the sensible thing. But justthe  same you'll  have been, in  their eyes,  a cowardly dog,  an unfeelingbrute,  a hard-hearted  monster.  And  you would  never get elected  to thecouncil. You  might even lose your  rating as Master Trader  by having yourcitizenship voted  away from  you. You're not  native born, you  know. Whatmore  do you  think Sutt  can want?"  Mallow frowned stubbornly,  "So!" "Myboy," said Jael. "I'll  stand by you, but I can't help. You're on the spot,杁ead center."